Circuit connector



H. A. DOUGLAS. CIRCUIT CONNECTOR.

ATION F AUG.15. 1918 Patented July M, )1922.

HARRY A. DOUGLAS, GT! BEQNSGN, MICHIGAN.

CIRCUIT corinne-ron.

Specification ofvLetters Patent.

Patented lily 1L 31922.,

Applicationled; August 15, 191s. Serial No. 250,022.

anduseful Improvement in Circuit Connec' tors, of which the following is a `full clear,4 concise, and exact description. i My invention relates to devices for establishing or extending circuits and is of particular service in joining two circuit sections such as an incandescent lamp and current conducting cord, l though the invention is' not to be limited to such use.

My invention has for its object the slmplification and improvement of means whereby circuit conducting cords may be brought into circuit continuing or establishf ing connection. In carrying 'out my invention I employ an assembling shell, a contact carrier connected with the shell, a tubular conductor within the contact carrier and extending longitudinally yof the shell, a circuit extending plug receivable in one end of the tubular conductor, said contact carrier having a transverse bore intersecting its bore that receives theJ tubular conductor' which itself has a lateral opening communieating with said transverse bore, a plunger pontact which projects through the lateral lopening in the tubular conductor into `the borethereof to )be engageable with said circuit extending plug, and a spring vin said transverse bore which presses said plunger contact against the plug.

When the device is employed to couple the circuit extendingplug with another contact carrier having a rigid contact, such for example as is included in the formation of an incandescent lamp, the additional contact carrier and shell are provided with interengaging formations, preferably bayonet pins and slots, for separably coupling them and anotherplunger contact is disposed in the tubular conductor and is spring pressed into enga-gement with a contact upon the additional contact carrier.

I will explain my invention more fully by reference to the accompanying drawing showing the preferred embodiment thereof and in which Fig. l is a View in longitudinal section'of a circuit connector made in ac'- cordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, an incandescent lamp being shown in elevation Within the forward end of the shell; and Fig. 2 isa sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. l. 'The drawing shows a single pole device to which, however the invention is not to be limitedu llilre parts are indicated by similar characters of reference in both views. y

The circuit. conductor illustrated includes a cylindrical assembling shell L preferablyA metallic and necessarilv so in a single pole' construction. A cylindrical contact carrier 2., preferably of insulating material5 is connected with the rear end of the shella In the form of the invention shown this contact carrier and the shell. are permanently assembled by punching portions 3 of'gthe shell into the contact carrier. A metallic tube as ccnstituting a conductor, extends longitudinally of the' shell and through the Contact carrier5 and as the device illustrated is a single pole device?v the bore of the contact carrier that receives the tubular conductor is coaxial with the shell and contactcarriert The tubular 'conductor is desirably formed by longitudinally drilling solid rod, a bridge y portion 5 being left at an intermediate portion of the conductor 4- for engaging the inner end of the coiled spring 6 which disposed in the front portion of the tubular conductor. The front end of the tubular conductor has a shoulder 'Z' surrounding the entrance to the bore of this tubular conductor at its front end. The plunger contact 8 project-s through the front end of the conductor 4L- and basan enlargement 9 within the tubular conductor `for limiting the extent to which this contact may be outwardly or forwardly thrust by .thelspring @whose forward end-is in pressing engagement with said contacte A second contact carrier l0 is illus-l dll:

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provided in the forward end of the shell 1. i

The contact carrier 10 hasta contact 13 engaged by the outwardly and forwardly spring pressed contact- 8 `and constituting one,

terminal of the incandescent lamp bulbv fila ment 14 Whose other terminal is connected with the metallic sheath 15 surrounding the contact carrier l0 andin electrical contact with the metallic shell 1 which is Iconnected with one terminal of the source ofcurrent Whicliis to supply the lamp. A circuit extending plug 16 is connected, by means ofthe cord conductor 17, with 'the other terminal of said source of current and is receivable in the rear portion of the tubular condoctor 4 This ,plug has an annular groove 18 at its forward or inner end. A transverse bore 19 extends in the plane ofy and intersects the longitudinal bore in the contact carrier 2 that contains the conductor 4, this conductor having la lateral opening 2() aligned with but narrower than the transf verse bore 19. A second plunger contact 21 projects through this lateral opening in the tubular conductor 4 into the bore of this conductor to be engageable in the annular groove 18 in the circuit extending plug. This second plunger contact has a cup shaped angeportion 22 which is upon the exterior of the tubular conductor 4 to limit the extent to which this plunger contact may project into the bore of this conductor when -the plug l16 is Withdrawn. .A coiled spring 23 is disposed in the inner end of `the transverse bore 19 and engages the cup shaped flange of the contact 21 thereby to press'this contact toward the tubular conductor 4 and against the groove portion 18 of the plug.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the contact carrier 2 extends rearwardly beyond the shell 1. Whenever the translatingdevice 14 is to be included in circuit the simple plug 16 is readily inserted within the conductor 4l into engagement with the contact 21 which not only serves electrically to connect the, conductor 4 and the plug 16 but alsol serves mechanically to maintain the assembly of these parts. .Ihen the translating device '14 is tovbe disconnected the plug is merely withdrawn against the'compara-` tively slight resistance oered b v the spring 28 to the removal of the plug.

While I have herein shown and particularly described the preferred embodiment of my invention I do not Wish to be limited to the precise details of construction shown as changes may readily be made Without departing from the Aspirit of my invention, but having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by LettersPatent the following Av circuit connector including a contact carrier having a recess therein, a longitudinally recessed conductor extending through the carrier and intersecting the recess of the carrier at right angles thereto, said conductor having a passage therein of less diameter than the recess of the carrier and connecting the conductor recess with the carrier recess7 a latch slidable in the carrier recess and having a reduced forward end operating in the passage of the conductor and forming a shoulder engageable with the conductor to limit locking movement of the latch, and a spring between the latch and the base of the carrier recess operating to project the latch against a circuit extending plug inserted in the recess of the conductor to force said plug into firm contact with the conductor.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 12th day of August A. D., 1918.

HARRY A. DoUGLAs. 

